The Boyfriend

"Heeeyyy girlfriend!" Kelsey's voice greeted her through the phone. She was in her baby blue bathing suit she bought before going on an exotic island summer vacation. She video called once a week throughout summer, sometimes more often whenever she needed a girl talk while she was on her solo getaway.

"Hey babe ... wow you look really tan there, are you still out on the beach?" Julie can only see parts of her perfect body and perfect face through the small screen.

Kelsey lifted her phone to show where she was, a beautiful white sand beach in the Bhorma Island where it's always sunny. People lying around on beach towels enjoying the sun. There were people running in the background, she could hear the waves mixed with the sound of seagulls. Then the camera went back to her face lying on the beach with her hair fall back under a beach hat.

"You could've been here with me if it weren't for your geek mode that decided to turn up before summer, how's your study going?" she asked.

Julie put aside her books in front of her and showed Kelsey the site of the campus cafeteria. The almost empty seats with only a few international students who didn't go back to their home countries for the summer. Trays of campus cafeteria food on their tables. Some sat alone with their books just like Julie.

"Jeez ... I don't know how you're not sick of that place, we were there every day for the whole entire year ... you could've get suntanned, drink pina coladas with me here, watching half naked men running on the beach and get laid!!" Kelsey was not letting her off the hook for not coming with her on that vacation.

"I need to finish all my credits early Kells, I can save some time and money next year ... you know that, I got A's for business management and statistics," she announced proudly.

"Shit! You took those already? Now who am I supposed to get my cheat sheet from? You're really ruining it for me Jules," she whined. Julie laughed it off.

"Hey, I met someone a few days ago ... he's super hot, sexy lips, gorgeous eyes, great body ... I was planning to check him out tonight, you know ... if he's got a big rock hard cock!!" her voice was echoing in the quiet cafeteria Julie had to turn down the volume.

She giggled at Kelsey's silliness, she had always been the girl who gets the guy. Ever since they were friends in kindergarten, she never had a memory of Kelsey not getting a guy she wanted.

"Sounds like you're gonna have a hot date tonight? Be careful though, do you have anyone who can check on you out there?"

"You're supposed to be that person! But you bailed on me for Business Management and Statistics, remember?"

Julie sighed, "You're not letting this go are you? I'm currently studying Digital Marketing, if I haven't mentioned that already, and I'm gonna ace this one too!" she made a face on the screen to tease her. Kelsey laughed out loud. "Are you sure about this guy? Do you know anything about him?" Julie was often worried of how careless Kelsey can be.

"He's a nice guy, MOM, you know ... the kind who likes to read stuff, I actually met him at a bookstore when I was looking for a gift for you ... can you imagine? Of all the places on this island, I actually met a guy at the bookstore ... oh and he loved that poet you always talked about so I pretended I was interested, and that's how I got the hot date tonight!!" her laugh can be heard by the people at the other table across from Julie's.

"I guess it worked out pretty well, I kinda helped you hook up with him ... indirectly, right? Just be careful Kells ... check in with me before and after your date, kay?"

Kelsey was the wild one, and Julie was the quiet one. It's always been like that since they met for the first time when they were four years old. It was an opposite attraction which developed into a symbiotic mutualism, they were like sisters from a different planet, but somehow it worked.

Julie took her books and her folder with Steven Tyler's face plastered on it, she walked towards the library after the call. She was finishing up her study for her next exam in the summer classes she took.

Summer was almost over, she traded the bikinis for the books this time. She would've gone with Kelsey to Bhorma Island but something happened, and it was too tempting of an opportunity to miss when she could take 3 classes early for the exchange of an internship the next academic year, so she took it.

She didn't come from a wealthy family like Kelsey. When her parents divorced, remarried and had their own children, Julie felt left out and decided to go to college away from them. She applied for a scholarship and got into University Of Gastonburry with a full scholarship. She toiled in school and was determined to finish as soon as possible to start her own life.

Spending time at the library until dark was her usual day at campus, if it's not the library, it would've been the bookstore or the reading cafe they had so many of in Gastonburry. She walked back to her dorm with books clutched in her arms. The walkway was almost empty with only a few students here and there. She can hear her footsteps as well as other people not far from her. Some students were back from their summer holiday, she thought.

She walked up the stairwell through the back door and came out on the third floor where her room was. She liked to take the stairs for the exercise. When she walked in the corridor, she saw Preston hanging out with a couple of his band buddies, she looked away.

It was Kelsey's idea to stay at the mixed dorm so she could occasionally hook up with one of the guys. Julie always wanted to stay in the girls dorm but she couldn't refuse her best friend's plea. Kelsey didn't want to share a room with anyone other than her.

Preston was glancing at her from the corner of his eye, she rushed to her door. She didn't know he was back. They hadn't spoken since that night she tried so hard to forget. She rejected every call he made and blocked his number all together.

Her heart beat was quickening, she felt his gaze even from a few doors down. She went into her room, closed the door behind her and turned the key.

A few minutes later, her phone rang. It was Preston. She had recently unblocked his number for reasons she still couldn't understand. She let it rang until it stopped ringing, she knew he was right outside her door. Her heart was throbbing from beneath her chest, she waited ... but it didn't ring again.

She was awoken by the sound of a rooster screaming it's lungs out like it's life was depending on it. She opened her eyes in a heavy daze, slowly gaining her consciousness, realizing that her alarm had set off the annoying sound. She took her phone and there were five miscalls from Kelsey. She remembered Kelsey never made that phone call to check in with her about her date. She dialed her number.

The call was picked up after two rings and she can see white bed sheets tangled on Kelsey's long and leaned tanned leg. It slowly went up to her exposed breasts, Kelsey was yawning and stretching at the other end of that call.

"Jeez ... five miscalls just for me to see you naked after a hot date? I thought you were in trouble or something," Julie was relieved even though slightly annoyed, as beautiful as she was, she didn't really enjoy looking at her best friend's bare breasts first thing in the morning. She threw herself back on her bed, covered in her vintage T-shirt and long pants she felt so comfortable in for sleeping.

"Good morning to you too, Miss Sunshine," Kelsey's hoarsed voice sounded sexy without her even trying.

"Where are you? Are you at your hotel?" The bed didn't look like it, hence the question.

"No, I'm at his place ... he actually owns a place on this island, his family's vacation home," she lowered her voice not wanting to be heard by the guy she was dating. "He is soooo fucking hot in bed, we had a fuckathon last night and we were slightly drunk ... it was ...." Kelsey's mouth was wide opened and she flipped her eyes to prove her point.

Julie rubbed her face, "God ... I don't think I want to hear the details so early in the morning, but ... good to know," she replied sarcastically.

Kelsey laughed again, "And you know what else?" it was a question that didn't need an answer. "He cooks!! He's an aspiring Chef and he's going to have his own restaurant chain and everything ... he was blabbering about it last night, the whole bit and pieces but I just couldn't wait to get his cock inside me ... and my godddd ..." she made another face that made Julie grimaced in a slight disgust.

"Okay ... okay ... I get the point, I'm happy for you bitch, so you've found the guy husband worthy ... finally?"

"What?? Hell no ... not really ... I couldn't stand listening to him talking so seriously about almost everything ... but I don't know, I don't think this will go beyond fucking on the island, a girl needs a good fuck on her solo vacation, right?" she giggled.

Julie rolled her eyes, Kelsey had never taken things seriously, all the guys she had ever been with were solely measured by their ability to please her in bed. She never seemed to think to find a guy who has good qualities that can keep a relationship longer than he can fuck.

"Preston called ... he asked about you," Kelsey said.

Julie let out a long frustrated breath, "I saw him last night, I didn't pick up his call ... what did he say?"

"You finally unblock him? That's good, I think you should give him a chance, Jules, he was in a pretty bad shape after you blocked him ... he was checking if he can talk to you again, and I said no ... I think he almost cried." That explains why he didn't call again after the first ring.

"I don't know ... I'm still ..."

"I know, take your time, I'm just saying ... you have a special bond with him, I know you cancelled on me because of what happened, but I think you just need time to figure it out, he loves you to death if you ask me."

Julie fell silent, she knew Kelsey was right, she just needed a little more time to be okay.

"Hey, I gotta go, I think he's done cooking ... I'll talk to you later, babe, or ... if I'm too busy fucking the Chef, I'll see you in a couple of days, okay? I miss you!"

"Take care, Kells, miss you too," she hung up the phone.

She got out of bed and changed to her jeans and fresh t-shirt, put on her oversized cardigan over it. Put on her vintage leather Dr. Martens, the only pair of boots she owned and took her backpack. She was ready for another day of pure solitude of reading, studying, doing her last test of the summer and enjoying the rest of the day to go to the bookstore and go crazy.

She stopped by at the coffee place near campus to order a hot latte to go, her usual, no sugar, extra shot of espresso for an early boost. When she got out of the shop, someone almost knocked her precious cup off her hand. It was a good thing she held onto it with her dear life.

"Hey! Watch it!" she exclaimed. When she saw the guy who had bumped her shoulder, she shrank and looked away.

"Jules! Sorry about that, I didn't see you there," Preston said. Julie shrugged and tried to hurry away, but Preston followed.

"Kelsey's not back yet? I haven't seen her around," he tried the safest question to ask her. She knew he was just making up conversations to stall her.

"Obviously not," Julie said irritated.

"When will she be back? What are you doing today?" His questions were unsettling.

She lifted her books, "Study ... test ... boring stuff, nothing you'd be interested in." She took a glimpse at him, his wavy brown hair brushed against his cheeks, strands of hair fell on his forehead, he tucked them behind his ear and showed his black earing in one of it's holes, his dark blue eyes pleading for her acceptance, she shuddered at the thought.

"You wanna get together afterwards?"

She hated it, to turn him down over and over again, she wished he could just take the hint and leave her alone.

"No ... I'm very busy ... Kelsey will be back in a couple of days, don't look for her until then," she rejected him and walked away.

"Oh come on Jules, let's hang out later for a few drinks?" he stopped following her, but still expecting a favorable response.

Julie didn't look back, she just waved at him and took a little run toward the campus building. She was panting when she arrived at the lobby, feeling relieved for having gotten rid of Preston. Usually it wasn't that easy.

Three years almost, when she first had a crush on that guy. She would shrivel down to a lump of mousse whenever he was near. For him to even know that she existed was a day of celebration for her. They were acquainted because he was friends with Kelsey first, that was pretty much how Julie was acquainted with anyone on campus. She used to daydream about Preston in her reading time at the library, or anywhere. They gradually became friends. They became inseparable just like her and Kelsey, but then it happened one day, and it was never the same again for her.

She was wearing a long sleeved cropped top with her super mini skirt, her tanned legs shimmered from the body oil she smeared all over it, she smelled like coconut vanilla. Kelsey was looking at herself in the body mirror in the corner of their dorm room, trying to decide whether to tie her hair in a ponytail or just leave them hanging over her shoulders.

She didn't really need to do anything with herself, Kelsey would've looked gorgeous in pajamas. She was one of those girls who looked perfect in their Instagram posts "woke up like this", yes they do exist.

Julie was satisfied with her babydoll dress, covered with her oversized sweater. It took her a few seconds to look in the mirror when she tied her hair in a messy bun in her half of the room where she stick her walls with posters of Rock Stars from the 70's and 80's. "Ready?" she asked Kelsey who was still undecided. "Just leave it as it is, Kells, you look fine," she continued.

They walked to the campus building to start a new semester. It was going to be a short one for Julie as she already took a few classes in advance.

"You know something crazy? That guy I hooked up with in Bhorma was actually from here! When I told him where I go to school he said his family owned a house here in Gastonburry, he used to go to West End Uni when he took his bachelor in Business Management, can you believe that?" Kelsey said on their way to campus.

"So he's here? He lives here in Gastonburry?" Julie asked. "Well technically, he owns a house here, but he moved around lately because he's starting this restaurant business I told you about ... he graduated a few years back and then he went to St. James to study culinary ... or something like that, I can't remember every detail he told me, well to make long story short, he's here! And he's meeting us after today's classes," Kelsey was smiling, but Julie knew her too well to sense there was something she wasn't saying.

"Wow ... this is a first, huh?," Julie commented on a seemingly serious relationship Kelsey was having with the new guy.

Kelsey grimaced, "That's the thing ... I don't think I want it right now, I mean ... to be committed to one guy feels so intimidating, you know? I want to have fun ... I was having fun with him, and to have him here everyday like we're committed wouldn't be fun anymore," and there it was, the thing that bothered her.

"Well he sounds like a great guy to be in a relationship with, great sex, a good cook, he's rich ... that's for sure, not everybody can afford to have a house here in Gastonburry," Julie was encouraging her wild bestie to consider something more stable.

"I know, right? But it gets boring when it comes to being steady, sometimes it's better not to know someone too much, the mystery is more exciting ... but when you start to know how they snore in the morning or how they like their omelette, it just kills it for me."

Sometimes Julie wonders if marriage was ever in Kelsey's path, she was a female predator, she loved sex more than she was interested in a relationship. Julie had seen how her best friend operate when she was prowling for a hot date, she never missed. And everytime the guy came close, she turns them down or simply ran away like he was a plague. She avoided intimacy, never wanted to get close to her date's friends and God forbid, family.

But who was Julie to judge, she was infatuated with Preston the first time she laid eyes on him. The Rockstar of UOG. She had always had a soft spot for singers, especially from a rock band. She never met a real one before until she met Preston. She was a total romantic, she had always dreamed of a good romantic relationship with a guy of her dream. Something that she gradually learned only existed in fairy tales. Especially after the last guy she dated in high school cheated on her.

Kelsey sometimes made fun of her for being so timid with boys because she wanted them to approach her like in the books she read a lot. But they were all the same, shallow, uninspired, empty, boys with lame game that she was unmoved by. As she developed a very close friendship with Preston, she learned that he was actually a guy version of Kelsey.

She used to have high hopes in love and everything that comes with it, but after what happened with Preston, she just shut herself completely and buried herself in books. All she wanted now was to graduate as early as possible, leave Gastonburry behind her and what happened there, for good.